Strong Enough
by Serena Kenobi
Summary: You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors, and I'm a rich kid with issues. Lots of issues.
1. Chapter 1

**Strong Enough **

By **Serena**

**Summary**: "_You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors, and I'm a rich kid with issues. Lots of issues." _

_Diana, exiled from Themyscira, ends up in Gotham City, looking for a new life. But despite her great physical strength, will she be strong enough emotionally and mentally to face the dark, twisted criminals of Gotham? BM/WW. AU.  
_

**A/N: **_OK, this is just an experiment to see how this goes. I've got a ton of other fics to update, but I've wanted to do this for a while. I don't know how it'll go, so we'll see. If you've read my Justice League stories, you'll know I'm a huge BM/WW fan because of the cartoon. The quote is actually from an episode where Wonder Woman's trying to get Batman to ask her out, and he keeps giving lame excuses. That's one of them.  
_

**Disclaimer: **_Me no own. You no sue._

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

* * *

"Scarecrow's escaped from Arkham."

"Big surprise there."

"He'll be caught. The police'll get him."

"You mean Batman will get him."

"Yeah. That's what I meant."

* * *

Commissioner Jim Gordon stared out into the night, rubbing his glasses with a handkerchief. He sniffed and put them back on, turning to go back inside -

And had to stop himself from shouting when he saw the familiar cowled figure standing about a yard away, cloaked in the dark shadows of the night. He stared at the other man, trying to think of what to say. But he didn't have to say anything.

"Scarecrow's escaped," the Batman growled.

Jim finally found his voice. "I know. I've sent out a warning to all nearby districts - we're searching the whole city for him. You come up with anything?" He couldn't say how relieved he was to see the Dark Knight again. Ever since he'd been forced to order Batman's capture, he and the vigilante hadn't seen each other much. Jim was secretly thrilled to see how much everyone else was beginning to miss the familiar presence of Batman - even bitter cops and political figures. The mayor, who originally had disliked the Dark Knight, now realized how much Batman had helped out Gotham City.

Now, only several months after the death of Two-Face, people were beginning to wonder if the reports of Batman killing people had been true. Mike Engels had interviewed people off the streets, and most of them said they didn't think Batman, who'd done so much good before, would go crazy and kill several people.

"But ya know," said one interviewee as he rubbed his nose, "That Joker freak was gettin' everyone all nuts. Maybe Batman couldn't take it and went crazy, too. Hey, I don't blame him."

However, some people thought differently.

"He's a vigilante and a murderer," one angry citizen spat in the camera. "He needs to be hunted down and taken care of before he kills someone else."

It pained Jim to see that people blamed Batman for the murders, and it made him even more upset at Dent for going off the deep end. But then again, it was hard to blame Dent - he'd lost everything, tormented by the Joker. Jim honestly didn't know if he would've done differently if he'd gone though something like that. He almost had.

He then realized Batman was speaking.

"I'm on it."

Jim nodded. No thanks were necessary this time. "I also think you might want to know about something else. The past few weeks, we've seen a string of violent murders associated with theft. Here." He handed Batman a few photos. Batman perused them, silent as Jim continued: "They look like they're physically torn apart. You hear anything lately?"

"Rumors. A creature down in the sewers."

"What, like a crocodile?" Jim snorted.

"If rumors are true," Batman said, "the creature was green and scaly."

Jim frowned. "But that's impossible. Must be a guy in a suit or something."

"I'm considering it."

Jim wasn't convinced. "You think... it's something not human?"

"It's possible."

"But that's..."

Batman shot Jim a look. "You know anything about Superman?"

Jim sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, some stuff. He's supposedly an alien, right?"

"From Krypton, a destroyed planet in a distant galaxy," Batman finished. "Don't rule out anything yet, Jim. From what I've seen so far, humans aren't the only ones on the planet. Trust me." He slipped the photos into a compartment in his belt.

"We've barely finished with the mob, and now we've got some inhuman thing running around the city?" Jim shook his head and looked down at his shoes. "I don't know how much more this city can take."

"I'll take care of it."

"You've got enough problems on your hands already," Jim argued. "First with the capture on your head - the whole city's hunting you down - and now this?" He rubbed his temples. "I don't see how you can stay..." He looked up, but the Dark Knight was gone. "... sane." He sighed again and wondered how absurd it was to be talking about sanity to man beating criminals up with his bare hands, dressed up in a bat suit.

But as he walked back inside, he realized that talking to Batman, dealing with him was normal now. And apparently, aliens in blue and red were normal in Metropolis. Maybe insanity was normal now.

* * *

Bruce rubbed his eyes and sighed as he clicked through the images on the screen in front of him. Another long night for the Batman, and unfortunately, things seemed to be getting harder before they got easier. The Joker was gone for now, but the Scarecrow was running free, hiding no doubt in the Narrows, and now there were rumors of a crocodile man in the sewers.

"Do you realize what time it is, Master Bruce?"

Bruce blinked and rolled his chair back, stretching his arms over his head as Alfred walked up to him with a paper bag in his hands. "Late?" he guessed.

"Early," Alfred said dryly. "Close enough, though, I suppose."

Bruce sighed again and rolled back, facing the computer screen again. "More reports of that crocodile man in the sewers," he said, rubbing his stubble-covered chin. "I'm not sure if they're just crazy rumors or if they actually have some merit yet. I'm leaning towards the latter, I'm afraid."

"First crazy clowns and now crocodile men in the sewers? Perhaps it is the end of the world," Alfred remarked.

Bruce shook his head and opened the paper bag. "Peanut butter and jelly?" He held up the sandwich in the ziploc back and raised his eyebrows.

"I need to do some shopping. Besides, peanut butter has protein," Alfred said. "And besides, you rarely eat anything I make anyway, Master Bruce."

"I don't have much time to eat, Alfred. In between going to business meetings and beating up the scum of Gotham, I can't find much time for food."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Then it's probably a good thing, sir, that I'm making you find time to eat."

Bruce made a noise in the back of his throat as he chewed on the sandwich and clicked on the mouse again.

"Or maybe," Alfred added, "you might want to think about settling down sometime. Having a serious relationship."

Bruce frowned. "I don't have time for a serious relationship, Alfred." His eyes darkened at the thought of Rachel. "Besides, it would be too dangerous. I couldn't put someone else in danger because of me, Alfred. I won't let that happen." He rose from his seat and stretched again.

Alfred watched him as he walked away and started to follow him. "Determined to live a life alone, then, sir?"

"If it's the only way to protect Gotham, then yes." Bruce turned back to face his mentor.

"Even you need a break sometimes, Master Wayne. After all, you're only human."

"Batman isn't. And I can't risk it either way. As Bruce or as Batman. If I started a serious relationship as Bruce, eventually, I'd have to tell her the truth, wouldn't I? And that would mean putting her in harm's way and asking her to keep a secret that's almost impossible to keep." He turned away, his face more drawn and dark than Alfred had seen in a long time.

The elderly butler sighed and muttered, "I tried."

* * *

She couldn't remember when she'd been this angry. Her limbs, her entire _soul_ was burning with fury. With a sudden burst of rage, she sped forward, flashing through the sky like a hot lightning bolt. Her hands curled into fists, shaking. Her lips were pressed together in a tight line, and her hair billowed behind her in waves of silky ebony. She felt the cool air rush over her thinly clad body, reveling in the moist air that hit her face, her arms, her legs, and her shoulders.

One thought was running through her mind.

_How could she do this to me? _

It had been a simple job, really. Humanity had been in danger - she'd seen it through the mirror that revealed the outside world. A ship was about to sink, being thrashed about by the furious waves. It would have sunk if not for her. She'd saved over three hundred lives.

And she'd been severely punished for it.

_Exiled. _

The cruel word still rang in her ears. _Exiled. _She'd been exiled from her home. The only home she'd ever known. Torn from her sisters, her friends, her _home._ Her _mother. _

_Her mother. _

Her lip curled as she remembered the last conversation she'd had with her mother. Not a pleasant one, to say the least. The words still burned on her tongue as she spoke to her mother for the last time.

_"Diana, how could you?"_

_"I had to, Mother! They were so close - and they were all going to die!"_

_"I don't care, Diana! You know you're not supposed to leave the island." _

_"What would you have had me done, Mother? Let them sink and die?"_

_"If it be gods' will, then yes." Her mother's voice was adamant.  
_

_"Mother, how can you say that? We have the power to do so much good in the outside world - and yet we train, we live here in seclusion - and for what purpose? We have these gifts from the gods - why not put them to good use and help humanity?" she argued.  
_

_"Because, daughter, the outside world is a cruel, dark place that would rip your innocence, your life away from you without a second thought. The outside world is filled with greed, hate, lust, evilness, and darkness. You, who have been raised in light and peace, would not survive."_

_"I am an Amazon, mother!" she growled. "What makes you say such a thing? Why have we been training if not to fight?"_

_"I do not mean physically, my sun and stars. I mean emotionally. Mentally. Man is evil and works in subtle ways to destroy you. Not all wars are wars of the sword. Men have ways to destroy your mind. And I will not inflict that on our people again." _

_"We can help, Mother. We can bring light to their darkness," she persuaded. _

_"I cannot ask my sisters to go through that again." Her mother looked down, and when she looked up, her eyes were glittering with tears. But they were hard. "Diana, you have broken the most important rule of our tribe. You have left and shown yourself to the outside world. You have brought man to this shore." _

_"They were all unconscious, My Queen," she protested. "Their ship was easy to repair. They had no knowledge of my assistance." _

_Her mother shook her head. "This cannot, unfortunately, go unpunished." _

_She stiffened. "What is my punishment?" she asked quietly._

_Her mother sighed. "Diana, as rule of the Amazons, for aiding man, bringing man to our sacred shores, and for leaving the island... you are hereby banished from Themyscira, never to return." _

_Her eyes widened, and she couldn't hold back a small gasp. "Banished? Forever?" _

_"I am sorry, Diana." Her mother looked down. "There is nothing else I can do. It is the law. You must be exiled." _

_Exiled. Banished. _

_"Mother..." _

_"Diana, do not make this harder for me." For the first time, the Queen turned away from her daughter. _

_She had nothing else to say. _

Biting her lip, she scowled and blinked back tears. No. She could not cry. Crying was weak. And she was not weak. She was stronger than this. She could move on. She had to. There was nothing else to do.

She was Diana, former Princess of the Amazons. And she would survive.

* * *

_TBC...

* * *

_

_So, let me know what you think. I won't continue if you guys don't like it. _:)

- **Serena**


	2. Chapter 2

**Strong Enough  
**

**By Serena **

**A/N**_: Sorry for the long wait in updates. I'm having a really hard time finding time to update all of my stories. Plus, my muse has been absent lately. :( Hang in there with me, people. I'm not going anywhere, I'm just... really, really busy. :( Grr. C'est la vie, non?  
_

**  
**_

* * *

_  
Bruce Wayne was bored. Bored, annoyed, and wishing he were anywhere else but here.

For the past hour, he'd been mingling with the rich and famous of Gotham and several other cities in the country at the annual benefit for cancer research. Bruce had, of course, been the top donor of one billion dollars, but others contributed as well. Nowhere near his amount, however. But he'd already spoken with the spokesperson of the cause and chatted with countless people; and now, he was standing with a glass of champagne in his hand, only half-listening to the airheaded German actress on his arm chatter on about her horrible old ex, and how he was just "soo bad!" and Bruce was "such a darling!"

Needless to say, Bruce wanted at least a semi-stimulating conversation with someone with at least half a brain. Of course, since he was probably twelve times smarter than the average person, it would be difficult to find such a person to match his brain anywhere.

"Bruu-cie!" The actress tugged on his arm, pouting up at him with obviously Botoxed lips.

He plastered on his official "Bruce Wayne: Playboy" grin and said lightly, "Sorry, I think that last glass put my brain on hold." Playing to the crowd, he added jokingly, holding up his glass, "Guess I need another one to bring it back!"

The small crowd surrounding him laughed, even though the joke wasn't funny... or really much of a joke. Bruce took another sip of his glass - but only a sip. He needed his brain sharp for tonight.

"So, Bruce, I hear you're expanding your company's industry," said an older man. "Any thoughts on what directions you'll be taking?"

"Well," said Bruce, "I've been collaborating with Stark Industries, trying to work something out there. But I'd like to get Wayne Industries more rounded in general. We're looking into nanotechnology and medicine as well, so we're trying to be diverse."

"Well, maybe Lexcorp can help with that."

Bruce stiffened ever so slightly but widened the grin on his face as Lex Luthor strolled up to the group with a beautiful brunette on his arm. "Lex, good to see you," Bruce greeted, holding out a hand. Lex shoot it, returning the smile.

"Always good to be back among Gotham's finest," the bald billionaire said, shooting the other ladies and gentlemen a dazzling grin. "And I've got to say, Bruce, quite a party you've got going here."

"Thank you," Bruce said politely. "It's good to see the city getting back on its feet after everything that's happened. I think it's time to move on and look towards a better future and a better Gotham."

"Hear, hear," said an elderly lady, raising her glass.

Bruce raised his glass, eyes shining. "To Gotham's future."

"To Gotham's future," everyone echoed, simultaneously raising their glasses. As everyone drank, Lex paused and swallowed his drink, fixing Bruce with a contemplative look.

"It's important to think about how Gotham approaches the future," Lex remarked cryptically.

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked with slightly narrowed eyes. What was Luthor up to now? The man was always scheming something. Bruce wouldn't put anything past him. He'd found out about Luthor's deals, including the highly secretive Cadmus project. From what Bruce had seen and discovered, Lex wasn't the sympathetic philanthropist businessman everyone saw him as.

"Well," said Lex, swishing his champagne around in his glass, "I've been hearing so much about your Dark Knight. It seems all of a sudden strange vigilantes are popping up in cities and wreaking havoc. First in Metropolis... and now Gotham."

"I don't know about that," Bruce laughed, inwardly reaffirming his dislike for Lex Luthor. "We don't even know if this Bat guy's real. Probably just some nut trying to be a hero like your uh... what do you call him? Blur-man?"

"The Red-Blue Blur," Lex said, derision laced into his voice. "An inhuman vigilante who's decided to take over Metropolis by sweeping in and saving the day. But he's nothing more than a meteor freak that needs to be taken out."

Bruce's eyebrows raised. "Meteor freak? You lost me at meteor." Everyone laughed again.

"People with... special abilities," Lex said, shooting Bruce an irritated look. "Not completely human."

"Well," said Bruce, "if you say these people like this Red-Blue Blur have special powers, it sounds like they're beyond human. Meta-humans. There you go. I did remember some high school vocab."

Everyone chuckled again except for Lex. "Don't fool yourself into thinking Gotham won't be their next stop," the bald man warned icily. "The Red-Blue Blur and this Batman are only the beginning. Just wait. Soon Gotham will have its own 'meta-humans'. Maybe not now, but soon. They're spreading like wildfire. Everyday my company hears reports of people with special powers."

Bruce nodded. "Well, when I meet one, I'll be sure to give him your number so you can give him your list of grievances," he joked.

Lex smiled acidly. "Please do." He nodded, signaling that the conversation was over. "Always good to see you, Bruce. We should do this more often."

Bruce smiled in return. "Absolutely."

He watched the bald man carefully as he walked away from the small group, pondering his words of warning. It was true. Something different was coming. The Red-Blue Blur, Batman, and Star City's Green Arrow. He'd read reports of people with powers showing up all over the country, the world, even. But Bruce had to admit, he couldn't say he wanted another vigilante showing up in Gotham - especially a meta-human.

Gotham was his city. _His_ turf. He was responsible.

No one else could get in the way.

And besides, no one else could deal with _his _level of criminal, anyway. The Joker had proved that.

Bruce looked up at the skylight of the room that revealed a deep red moon overhead. A blood red moon. A hunter's moon.

And tonight, he would be the hunter.

The prey, human or meta, had better watch out.

He was Batman. And the night, like Gotham City, was his. And his alone.

* * *

Some nights it was the remnant of the Maroni mob. Other nights it was wannabe whackos, or sometimes just petty thieves trying to survive. Tonight, it was the second. Batman crouched on the top corner of a skyscraper, watching, waiting. Soon he'd move to another position, because somewhere, someone was bound to be getting attacked. Or the mob would be making another drug sell. And he had to be right on top of it.

Wait. There was something.

Batman took off as the windows of a fourth-story building burst outward, flames billowing on the edges of the building. He heard screaming, only driving him harder towards the ground. He dropped down into one of the windows, rolling into the burning room, and rose to his feet. He saw no one at first, but after a moment, he saw a figure running away out the door. He angrily charged after the figure and grabbed his (the figure was a man) collar, yanking him back.

The man had been grinning, but when he saw Batman, he paled and let out a horrified shriek. "B-B-Batman!" he wailed.

Batman glared at him. "What are you doing?" he growled.

The man swallowed. "Just some fun... wanted to see the fire..." He held up a lighter.

"Fun?!" Batman roared, shaking him viciously.

Behind him, the support beams from the upper floor groaned under the fire's hazardous damage, but Batman didn't even notice. With an angry grunt, he punched the man unconscious and started to haul him out of the room. Throwing the perpetrator over his shoulder, he scanned the apartment for any other people, but no one else was there. But the fire was spreading quickly. He hastily tapped into Gordon's phone connection and waited for a call return while making his way out of the burning apartment.

"Gordon here."

"Corner of Fifty-first and Granger," Batman growled. "Some crazy kid thought it'd be fun to light his apartment on fire."

"Yeah, I know," Gordon said, sounding breathless. "We're on our way. Firetrucks should be there in a few seconds."

"I've got the perp," Batman told him shortly. "I'm going to get him out and then -" He was cut off as a support beam cracked overhead. He looked up and saw the beam, lit with flame, crashing down right on him.

* * *

The city was crudely built, Diana thought as she soared over head. Certainly better lit than Themyscira, but the buildings were sharp and unfriendly. They towered stories above most of the buildings on Themyscira, but their architecture contained no beauty, no light.

The city was dark, sorrowful. Diana wondered why it looked as if it were in mourning.

She also wondered if she could find something to eat. She hadn't eaten over five days. She'd scoured the earth, Europe, Africa, and finally had made her way here. Gotham. Something had brought her here - why, she wasn't sure, but something about this city drew her near. And yet... it also screamed out a warning. A deadly, serious warning that nearly made Diana shiver. But she was an Amazon. She didn't fear anything.

Yet.

_Hera. _

Diana alighted on the top of a more elegantly structured building and sank down on its edge into a crouch, resting a supportive hand on the statue beside her. The city was so... downtrodden. So lonely.

Diana's hand clenched against the statue, fighting that overwhelming sense of _alone. _She was alone. No support of any kind.

Only when she heard an ear-splitting crack did she look and realize that she'd crushed the statue in her bare hand. She sighed and looked down at the streets far below. The city was noisy, but it was a sad kind of noise. It was...

Wait - screaming!

Diana lifted her head and saw that on the corner room of a building, a huge, rippling flame was bursting out from the now broken windows. Without a second's hesitation, she flew off the building and soared right up to the window. She peered inside. She saw no one at first, but then out of the smoke and flame, a dark, tall figure strode, heading towards the window. Diana stared at him. Was that... a bat? Or Hades himself?

When she heard a crack, her attention instantly drew to the ceiling, where a support beam was starting to come loose. She didn't even think about it - she dove into the building and held up the support beam over the strange bat-man's head. She looked down and stared at the strange dark figure standing only feet under her.

Her breath caught when she got a good look at his masked face.

* * *

An angel. That was his first thought when she flew in among the ash and dust and saved his life.

She... was indescribable. Words were meaningless when looking at her. Graceful, lithe. Tall, clearly strong, and proud. Her skin was a rich golden, kissed to perfection by the sun, and glistening from the flame's reflection and heat. Her hair, long, ebony, and lustrously thick, framed her smooth, majestic face. But what drew him in fully, locked him onto her form, was her eyes. They were a deep, fathomless blue that left him wanting to see everything she saw.

She was the most incredible woman Bruce had ever seen.

For the first time since he could remember, his heart skipped a beat.

* * *

_TBC..._

* * *

_Yep, couldn't hang around forever waiting for them to meet. So they meet now. But the fun part hasn't even started yet. Hee. _

- **Serena**


End file.
